Curator: Chris Gordon
Artists: Tanya Goloviznina, Marina Lukyanova, Petr Shvetsovet al.
The Russians are coming! Invasion plans revealed at last!
On September 6th at 18:00, in a quiet corner of the capital, an invasion is set to take place. Five young artists and a curator from just across the Eastern border will assume temporary residence in Galleria Huuto’s small but important exhibition space. Hoping to demoralize the enemies of free expression everywhere, they will hang their pictures on the walls in anticipation of enticing visitors to the gallery to spend some time with their art while advancing their cause.
What exactly is their cause? The exhibition’s curator Chris Gordon explained it thus, “Contemporary Russian art from St. Petersburg has generally been eclipsed in the public imagination by one of the world’s richest collections of traditional painting, sculpture and architecture. The international perception is that it’s a bit of a wilderness as far as contemporary culture goes. This exhibition hopes to demonstrate that there is some life in the old city yet with artists who address serious issues in an inventive and engaging manner.”
The title of the exhibition Chorny Boomer refers to the preferred means of transport and protection for bandits, pop stars and the marginally more legitimate ruling class in today’s Russia. The car’s bulletproof carcass can be seen as the ultimate embodiment of the aspirations of a narcissistic and insecure elite. One that is desperate to insulate itself from a messy world they can’t entirely understand or control.
“The subject matter of the works in the show are as varied as the backgrounds of the artists themselves but are generally concerned with exploring influences on the choices we make when constructing an identity. The inscrutable black machine stands a stark reminder of the death car and the psychic perils of cutting oneself off from moral responsibility and intuition. To remind us that it is perhaps better to embrace one’s eccentricity and frailty than wall it up in hopes of impressing or controlling others. After all, isn’t it better to be seen wearing last season’s fashions rather than found to be wearing nothing at all?”
The exhibition is produced in collaboration with Galleria Huuto and HIAP – Helsinki International Artist-in-residence Programme. In January-February 2005 Chris Gordon worked in Helsinki as a curator-in-residence in the residency program organized by HIAP and FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange.
HIAP – Helsinki International Artist-in-Residence Programme
tel / fax: +358-9-6856730
www.hiap.fi
